Anderson & Richards Earn Marlins MiLB June Honors

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp third baseman Brian Anderson and right-handed pitcher Trevor Richards have been named the Miami Marlins Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for June, announced by the Marlins front office on Wednesday afternoon.

Anderson earned the Player of the Month honors after a June that saw him hit .333 (28-for-84) over 26 games with five home runs, 12 RBI, one double, and two triples. During the month he also posted a .434 on-base percentage and a .571 slugging percentage, which was the top slugging percentage in the Southern League for June. Additionally, during June he was second in the league in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) at .984, third in the league with his .333 average, and third in the league with his five home runs.

Anderson overall is hitting .260 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI in his 81 games played for the Jumbo Shrimp this year. Currently in the Southern League, he leads the league in games played (81), tied for second in home runs (14), third in runs scored (50), third in total bases (134), fourth in at-bats (288), and has the fourth-best home run per at-bat ratio at one homer every 20.57 at-bats.

Anderson will represent the Jumbo Shrimp and the Marlins by playing in the 2017 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday July 9 at Marlins Park in Miami.

Earlier this season Anderson was recognized as a 2017 Southern League Midseason All-Star, and has been an All-Star three years in a row after being a Florida State League Midseason All-Star in 2015 and 2016. Anderson, 24, is the Marlins No. 3 prospect for 2017 according to MLB.com, and in 2016 was the Marlins Minor League Player of the Year for his work at Jupiter and Jacksonville. Anderson continued his success in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, where he was named a Rising Star and a part of the All-Prospect Team. Anderson was selected by the Marlins in the third round of the 2014 draft out of the University of Arkansas, and he is a native of Edmond, Oklahoma.

Richards earned the Pitcher of the Month honors after a June that saw him make five starts going 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA with four starts with High-A Jupiter and one with Double-A Jacksonville. Richards pitched in 27 and a third innings in June, holding opponents to a .161 batting average while striking out 29 batters and walking only six.

Richards started the 2017 season with Jupiter where he was a midseason Florida State League All-Star, going 7-4 with a 2.17 ERA in his 13 appearances and 11 starts for the Hammerheads. Richards has made three starts with Jacksonville, and is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA, and he also earned a victory in his start last night in Montgomery.

Richards, 24, is a native of Aviston, Illinois, and was signed by the Marlins as a minor league free agent on July 7, 2016 after pitching in independent baseball for the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies.

This is the second month this season that a Jumbo Shrimp player has earned monthly honors from the Marlins, as right-handed pitcher Omar Bencomo was named the Marlins Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April.

The Jumbo Shrimp and Biscuits will continue their series with the second game of the five-game set on Wednesday night at 8:05 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. Left-handed pitcher Mike Kickham (5-4, 2.34 ERA) will start for the Jumbo Shrimp against Biscuits right-handed pitcher Jose Mujica (7-5, 3.09 ERA). Fans can listen to the game on the Jumbo Shrimp Network presented by Community First, beginning at 7:50 p.m. ET with the pregame show “Shrimp On Deck” on FM 100.3 & AM 1600 The Biz, the TuneIn Radio app, and www.jaxshrimp.com.

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are beginning a new era of affordable family fun with the 2017 season presented by Community First Credit Union at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. With a new lineup of ticket and group options, there is a reason for everyone to get part of the action by calling the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visiting www.jaxshrimp.com.